


Face Everything and Rise

by TheHeroesandVillains



Category: Transformers (Bay Movies), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Mostly Bayverse, OC romance, Updated as often as possible, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-05-13 19:26:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5714278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHeroesandVillains/pseuds/TheHeroesandVillains
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the battle that killed the Fallen, Sam received a cryptic message from the original Primes, leading to the discovery of an unknown Cybertronian. When they wake, Optimus realises the regaining of his life wasn't the only second chance Primus bestowed him. OP/OC Set just after the second movie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Found

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first Transformers fic and I’d love some advice on this.   
> This is set in the Bay universe right at the end of the second film, and I’d recommend seeing it if you haven’t already (I highly doubt you haven’t) or this first chapter would be incredibly confusing.  
> I’d like also to thank the author Teletraan-1 for getting me into this fandom in the first place and her continued support :-) Enjoy!

When Megatron’s blast rippled through him, Sam didn’t feel any pain and certainly didn’t feel scared. There was a tugging at the back of his neck that somehow let him know he was still alive. All his scrapes and burns no longer hurt and when he opened his eyes, he wasn’t lying on the burning dessert floor, he was standing in what felt like another world.

Surrounding him were the shapes of jagged stones, dwarfing him but providing him with shelter from the harsh winds that stung his face. The sky was a mixture of blue and orange hues, glowing brightly. Before his eyes even adjusted to the harsh light ahead of him, he heard a combination of voices, sounding distinctly Cybertronian.

“We have been watching you for a long, long, time,” the voices told him and seven figures emerged from the dust around him. “You have fought for Optimus, our last descendant with courage and sacrifice: the virtues of a leader. A leader worthy of our secret; The matrix of leadership is not found, it is earned, “ they said, and Sam knew without a doubt he was talking to the first primes, “Return now to Optimus, merge the matrix with his spark then, when the Fallen is defeated, take him to our tomb to find the Liberator. It is and always has been your destiny.”

With that, darkness came rushing towards him and he was back on his back, aching all over and staring into a pair of familiar eyes that were a mix between green and blue. Mikaela didn’t say anything as she held his head and the tears streaked down her face spoke volumes. He could have stayed forever in her arms but, unfortunately, Sam had a responsibility – he sat up, grabbed the now formed matrix that was lying next to him and wasted no time in clambering onto Optimus’ chest. With a cry, he plunged the matrix into Optimus’ lifeless sparkchamber.

With a jolt, Optimus’ optics flashed open and he coughed out a cloud of dust. He stood with a growl, ready to stop the Fallen at all costs.

* * *

Sam breathed a sigh of relief as Optimus rose from behind the statue alone, the Fallen’s broken body lying on the sand at his feet. The Sun Harvester had been destroyed and Megatron had fled. He wanted nothing more than to sleep for a year and cover his sunburned skin in something, _anything_ cold, but Sam had one more thing to do.

“Optimus,” he called, stepping away from Mikaela and his parents to speak with the Autobot leader where no one else could hear.

Optimus immediately bowed his head respectfully, “Thank you, Sam, for without your faith I would no longer have my life,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” Sam smiled but stopped when he remembered why he had called him over in the first place, “but you need to know that when the Primes gave me the matrix, they said something else,” he admitted.

 “Go on.”

“They told me to take you back to the tomb,” he frowned, “to find the Liberator, if that means anything to you.”

Optimus ducked down, exposing the importance of the information, “The Liberator is part of a prophecy told during the war back on Cybertron. I had always presumed it false until now.”

Sam glanced to where Lennox was waiting with Mikaela and Bumble Bee, “But what does it mean? I-

“Take me to the tomb, Sam, I need to inspect its contents. There may be something you overlooked.” He stood up and beckoned Ratchet over, communicating through their comm-link to tell the medic what Sam had said.

“I will accompany you both. If this Liberator truly is hidden in the tomb, there is a chance my medical resources will be needed,” Ratchet said when he reached his Prime’s side, brushing sand off his chest plate.

“I appreciate the gesture, thank you Ratchet,” Optimus said, before he waved Lennox over and the man approached curiously.

“What’s the problem?” he asked, craning his neck to look up at the two Autobots.

It was Sam who answered, “We’re going to have to go back to the tomb to check something.”

“Do you need help?”

Optimus and Ratchet exchanged a look, “It is wise for there to be few humans and Autobots to join us. Please begin to remove your men and evacuate - we will join you at your station when we are done.” Optimus told him, glancing at the various tanks and guns that looked threatening even to an Autobot.

Lennox frowned but didn’t question the decision, “If you say so… Will there be any threats?”

“We shall take Ironhide for back up as a precaution,” Ratchet stepped in, making it clear the human assistance was not required.

“Very well,” Lennox said before turning to Sam, “You’ll have to explain to your family why they have to leave you.”

Sam just gave a smile and stared dreamily in front of him, making his way over to Mikaela as he called back, “Already on it.”

* * *

Darkness had already set in by the time Sam and the three Autobots reached the entrance of the tomb. They had set out as the sun had begun to disappear and they hadn’t been in a rush. Sam wondered what they were looking for – he was sure he hadn’t missed anything and there was nothing left to see, but Optimus had insisted and you try saying no to a 32 foot giant metal alien. With a crunch, the remaining stone that concealed the entrance to the tomb was smashed in by an impatient Ironhide. “This is a waste of our time. Let’s get this over with,” he said, moving to the side to let Prime glance inside.

Optimus gave his comrade a withering look, “Ironhide. This is important and is by no means a waste. If we find an ally today, the rewards will greatly outweigh your boredom.”

Ironhide rolled his eyes and muttered, “I’d still rather be recharging.”

“Shh! I can hear something,” Sam waved at the Autobots and they all fell silent. Whatever the sound was, it was too quiet to make out from outside the tomb and Sam stepped through the hole in the ancient stone.

Optimus knelt down and peered into the gap at Sam’s retreating form. “Sam, we cannot join you inside, the opening is too small,” he warned.

Sam didn’t even glance behind him as he replied, “I can take care of myself. I’ll be right back.”

He already knew what the tomb looked like from his previous visit and he made his way to the centre easily, stepping over the three sets of footprints in the sand at his feet that had been left there earlier that day. What he wasn’t prepared for was the almost complete darkness that stopped him seeing past the spot where the matrix had fallen apart in his hands. “Guys,” he called, “any chance you could shine a light in here?”

Immediately a bright light assaulted his eyes and Ratchet’s voice called out, “What can you see?”

Sam squinted past where he had found the Matrix, “Not much. Just a wall.” He took a step closer and sneezed – there was a layer of dust over most of the surfaces.

“There are no markings?” Optimus asked.

Sam reached out and brushed the dust away. Very faintly, there was a symbol painted on the bricks, worn away from the hundreds of years it had been there, “There’s some sort of orange face,” he told them, having no clue what on earth it meant.

Obviously Sam had found something worthwhile, because Optimus wasted no time in saying, “Ironhide? Do you think you can clear enough space for us to fit?”

He didn’t need to be looking at Ironhide to know he was grinning. “With pleasure,” the bot said and a whirring sound accompanied the sound of Ratchet and Optimus stepping back.

It didn’t take a genius to work out that Sam was in a dangerous spot and without any hesitation, he scrambled out the hole that could barely fit a Cybertronian head, and flew in the direction of Optimus, before nearly tripping. He was barely out of the line of fire when the cannon blasted a gaping hole in the tomb, creating a gap even Optimus was able fit through. Said Autobot approached the wall Sam had dusted off and stared at it for a moment, before straightening.

Sam squinted up at the leader, “You recognise it?”

Optimus looked at the symbol with a look of almost longing etched into his normally vacant face. “It is the symbol of the Autobot high council,” he paused before giving Ironhide a look, “It means we need to knock down this wall.”

“You didn’t have to ask,” Ironhide said, firing up his cannons for the second time, “Step back.”

The blast that Ironhide fired was just as powerful as the first and soon the wall was reduced to dust. Behind it was a huge space with a metal floor and mesh walls. Even though all the Autobots had to stoop to fit through the opening, it was clear the room inside was meant for something their size and Optimus would have only just have been able to touch the metal roof.

Sam stepped in last and examined one of the walls, “What is this place?” he asked.

“It has been built using Cybertronian technology,” Optimus replied, moving to examine a lever on the only wall that wasn’t made of mesh that they had just passed through, “It serves as a form of transport.”

Sam eyed the opening and the more he thought about it, the more he thought they looked like doors, “Like an elevator?”

“You could say that,” was the only answer he received before Optimus pulled the lever and two metal gates covered the opening with a shudder. Soon they could all see dirt rushing past them through the mesh and Sam’s heart dropped into his stomach. When he looked over at Ratchet, it appeared the medic was clutching his head, moaning quietly, as if he felt ill.

Sam laughed despite his own discomfort and Ironhide poked the bot in the back, “Can’t handle all this excitement Ratch?”

“Shut your mouth, before I weld it closed for you,” Ratchet shot back.

Ironhide scoffed, “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

Ratchet was about to reply when the ‘elevator’ came to a shuddering stop and opened to reveal a dark staircase, instead it was Sam who spoke, “Well that doesn’t look threatening at all,” he said, looking up at Optimus for direction, “Do we go down?”

Ratchet, having recovered, stepped closer to the entrance, “Optimus?”

Optimus turned to face them all, “We’ve come this far,” he said, “Follow my lead.”

Sam noticed Optimus and Ironhide drawing their weapons and hurried to keep up with them as they reached the top of the stairs, “What are you expecting?”

Optimus glanced down at him and tried to appear relaxed, “I don’t entirely know. But I am sure the Primes would not lead us here to put us in danger.”

They then all drew their attention to the room at the bottom of the stairs. It reminded Sam of pictures he had seen of old Egyptian temples but all metal. There was dust everywhere, like upstairs, and the same symbol that had been on the wall they had knocked down covered the walls. It was similar to the Autobot symbol but had shapes that resembled a crown above the head, orange and way more basic. Again, the room was huge and once they were down the steps, all the Autobots would have easily have been able to fit as well.

Sam felt the need to say something because the atmosphere was borderline awkward (for him at least) and he whistled, “Sure is dark-”

“Who is that?” a voice called out, interrupting him and freezing them all where they stood.

“Hello?” he said.

There was a shuffling sound from one of the far corners of the room, “Who’s there?” a distinctly female voice asked shakily.

Immediately sensing the fear and suspicion in the woman’s voice, Sam stepped in before the Autobots could interfere, “It’s okay, my name’s Sam,” he said, jogging over to where the voice had come from, “We’re not going to hurt you.”

When he finally stopped, he could see a woman with her back pressed up against the wall behind her. Her hair was frizzy, sticking out at odd angles and almost jet black. She was wearing a filthy dress that was covered in dirt from the floor. Hugging herself protectively, she squinted at the light the Autobots were shining at her and said, “I heard- It was so loud-” a shiver ran the length of her body, “Where am I?”

Sam frowned, “You don’t know?” The woman shook her head and glanced behind him at the giant aliens. The sight should have had her running and screaming but she simply stared, which made Sam’s frown deepen, “What’s your name?”

“I don’t know,” her voice gradually grew more panicked as she said, “I can’t remember anything. I heard the most horrible noises and I-“

Before Sam could even try to calm down, Optimus stepped forwards, and got right up in her face, “Have you seen one of us before? You do not appear surprised at our presence here,” he rumbled, causing the girls’ knees to shake violently and she wobbled.

She then fell onto her back and was staring up at Optimus with unfocused eyes when something flashed and she appeared alert again, “Orion?” she whispered, before collapsing again, her quiet exclamation only heard by Optimus and Sam.

Sam then rushed forwards, “Don’t just stand there! Help me carry her.” Optimus merely stared at the woman, conflicted. “We need to get her out of here,” he said, starting to lift her, amazed the Autobot leader had not moved to help him.

It was Ratchet who stepped forward, “There’s no need. She’s not alive.”

Sam stopped where he was, confused, “Of course she is!” he hastily placed her back on the floor and tried to check for a pulse. When he found none, he froze in shock, “But…”

“She was never alive,” Ratchet told them gravely, “She has no heart. Or any other organs according to my scans.”

Sam stepped away from the woman’s body slowly, “But what is she then?”

Optimus seemed to have recovered from his shock and stood up, “A holoform,” he said.

“A holoform?” Sam echoed.

But Optimus didn’t reply and his usual calmness had been replaced with a steely determination Sam had only seen him adopt in battle, “Later,” he dismissed, “I want this place searched from top to bottom and you will report back to me if you find anything.”

It was then that Sam noticed the three passageways that led away from the room, one left, one right, one dead centre. Optimus was already disappearing down the centre path, leaving Sam, Ratchet and Ironhide to pick from the other two. It was clear Optimus needed some time, although Sam didn’t really know why.

“Is he okay?” Sam asked Ratchet, who he had decided to follow down the left passageway.

“I think so,” the medic replied, sounding just as uncertain as Sam felt, “It’s best we do as he says.”

They walked in silence for a minute, before they emerged in a room with high stone shelves and an even higher ceiling. The shelves were huge, dusty, but empty and Sam shivered involuntarily – it was disturbing. Ratchet didn’t seem fazed and continued further into the room.

“What are we looking for?” Sam asked once he got over his initial shock at his surroundings.

Ratchet shrugged, “Anything out of place.”

They split up to cover more ground and when Sam turned the corner he knew what he had found was definitely out of place. The thing before him was easily large enough to fit an Autobot and was completely black. Not the sort of black that showed a reflection and looked shiny, it was the sort of black that swallowed everything. It was more rounded at what Sam presumed was the bottom and was shaped like a comet or thin teardrop. Sam knew instantly where he recognised it from. He had seen it a year earlier - it looked like the Autobots when they folded up to travel when they had fallen to earth. “Ratchet? I think I found something,” he called, stepping away from the huge _thing_ just to be safe.

Ratchet followed the sound of Sam’s voice and turned the corner, crouching down in front of the shape soon as he saw what Sam had discovered, “Ah-”

“Is that what I think it is?” Sam asked, taking a gulp.

“Yes,” Ratchet said, “I believe this is a Cybertronian locked into their transition form,” he took a step back, “But this particular form is incredibly large and I fear who this could be. There are not many Autobots this huge,” he paused, “Or this darkly coloured.”

Sam took another step backwards and opened his mouth to say something, when a set of footsteps were heard from behind the shelves in the direction of the entrance. The footsteps were loud and quick and within seconds Optimus appeared around the corner and was by their side in an instant. It appeared he had been listening to their conversation through the comm link the Autobots shared and had come straight for them as soon as Sam had spoken. “Step aside!”

It was then that Ironhide also approached them, having come looking for them all. He was silent as he moved to stand behind them, watching as Optimus examined the locked away Cybertronian closely for over a minute, almost looking for something in particular before he pulled back and glanced at Ratchet.

The medic had known Optimus for years and he knew without a doubt that something was troubling the Prime. He wasn’t thinking things through and although it was natural for a leader to listen through comm lines to make sure his team were unharmed, the speed he had gone from the area he had been searching to theirs was worrying and should have been impossible. But Ratchet knew that asking would not help, instead, he did what Optimus obviously wanted him to. With a sigh, he scanned the form thoroughly, taking extra care not to miss anything and analysed the results as quickly as he could. “Scans show a faint energon signature,” he reported, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen signals this low before but they’re still alive, even if barely.”

Optimus took a moment to think before he finally spoke, “Can we move them?”

Ratchet shrugged, “I don’t see why not.”

“Hold on,” Ironhide stepped in angrily, “We don’t know who this is. They’re obviously huge and we don’t want to bring a Decepticon back to the NEST base.”

“Optimus positively glared at Ironhide, “I am certain this Cybertronian isn’t a threat. I refuse to leave a fellow Autobot behind and we are taking them with us. Ironhide – you should be strong enough to carry them. Do not make any further protests – that is an order.”

There was a deafening silence before Ironhide reluctantly did as he had been ordered with a grunt of annoyance. He began to move the form, Optimus supporting a large portion of the weight, before edging in and out of the shelves at a painfully slow rate. By the time their odd procession of autobots, unidentified being and human reached the stairs, Sam was fed up of being kept in the dark. He turned to Optimus and frowned, “You never told me what a holoform was.”

Optimus seemed to recover from some kind of daydream and looked down at Sam as best he could whilst staggered under the heavy weight he was sharing, “A holoform is a projection that allows us to interact with the human race without causing panic and represents what we would look like as a human,” he distractedly replied.

“Does that mean this one’s a girl?” Sam asked, thinking about the woman they had seen.

It was then that Optimus seemed to tense up, but focus, “Perhaps.”


	2. Awakening

Lennox hurried down the corridor, a frown etched into his face as he tried to keep his eyes open. His shirt was untucked under his jacket and he was sure his trousers were on backwards, but he didn’t care how he looked – he had aliens to discipline.

The alarms that had woken him blared loudly from the overhead speakers, having been triggered by a series of minor earthquakes. Irritably, he threw the door to the autobots’ hanger open, where the shaking appeared to be originating from. As another tremor shook the floor he was violently thrown to the floor. To put it lightly, he was supremely pissed off.

Instinct brought him to his feet in less than a second. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he yelled.

The only Cybertronians assembled inside were Optimus, Ratchet, Ironhide and Sideswipe, all sprawled out on the floor after the latest quake. Lennox assumed the others were all recharging in some other part of the base and was thankful of their absence – he could only handle so many restless autobots in one go before his head felt like it was imploding.

The autobot leader was covered in sand from the desert they had just returned from and was still dented where he had been hit in battle. The others were all in similar conditions and it didn’t take a genius to work out that Ratchet had been neglecting his duties, which meant he had been ordered not to (have you ever tried keeping Ratchet away from a patient?)

It was said Medic that heaved himself to his feet first, grumbling as he went. “Let’s stick to my ideas, Ironhide. That felt like we were back in Wheeljack’s lab again.”

“Well none of your ideas were any better,” Ironhide scoffed, getting up and helping Optimus to his feet.

“What’s going on here?” Lennox tried for the second time. It was a struggle to be heard from so low down, but he was used to shouting at his troops and this time he was heard.

Their complaining ceased and the autobots paused to look down at the fuming soldier. Ironhide moved first, and instead of providing an explanation, he smacked the back of Sideswipe’s head. “I thought I told you to watch the door,” he scowled.

Sideswipe shrugged and grinned widely, “And miss this?”

“As if this last couple of days haven’t been stressful enough,” Lennox scolded, trying to ignore the fact that they didn’t seem to care he was angry. “Now I have to worry about why I’m being woken in the early hours of the morning with the ground shaking. Not to mention the fact that my men were trying to recover from a war with _your_ enemies.” He shook his head and clenched his fists. “I need answers.”

Optimus stood for a moment, blinking, as if he had not considered the consequences of his actions until now. “We are sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused,” he eventually declared, “but we may have discovered something that is more important than a good night’s sleep.” He then faced Ratchet. “Check vitals.”

In his fury, Lennox had not noticed the vast object behind the autobots, connected to numerous wires and cables. It was silver in colour, shaped like a teardrop and made of a metal that was clearly heavily armoured. Groves lined the entire surface of the area and Lennox vaguely recognised the object, but doubted Optimus would be stupid enough to bring an unknown Cybertronian into their base without warning.

“What the hell is that?” he questioned regardless, his voice rising in pitch. “And what the hell is it doing on my base?”

Ratchet approached the... _thing_ and with a bright flash of red that made the man’s eyes sting, it was scanned.

Optimus was fixated on what Ratchet was doing and didn’t meet the Major’s gaze as he answered. “It’s a Cybertronian in their transitional form. We are trying to revive them,” he admitted, caring little of the reaction he would receive. “We found them in the tomb of the Primes.”

“Are you out of your mind? That thing looks large enough to destroy the entire base!” Lennox inhaled through his nose and massaged the bridge of his nose before continuing. “What would you do if that thing turns out to be a decepticon? You need to get rid of it.”

“No,” Optimus snapped without a second thought.

“ _What_?”

Ironhide stepped forward before Optimus could argue. His face was scrunched up “We have reason to believe this Cybertronian is an ally,” he explained. “Its hiding place bore the mark of the autobot high council.”

Lennox took one look at the autobot leader’s face and bit back the remark that flew to mind. “I understand this means a lot to you, but this is a huge risk, even for me.”

Whatever Optimus was about to say, the words died on his glossa when Ratchet called over, having just finished analysing the results from his latest scan. “It appears a part of the form has unlocked and I can see a button…”

There was a second where no one knew what to do, then Optimus broke the silence. “Press it,” he told them sternly.

Lennox threw up his hands in his irritation and started to protest. “But–

“That is an order Ratchet.”

Responding to Lennox’s objections with a simple glance, Ratchet opted to listen to his superior. “As you wish,” he muttered.

With bated breath, the occupants of the room watched intently as the medic stretched across the form and slowly but firmly, pressed down on the blue button.

A groaning filled the hangar and the metal on the surface of the dormant Cybertronian began to twist and unwind. Almost like a liquid, the metal slid onto the ground and began to arrange itself into a box nearly the size of an average human. Before long, the grinding stopped sound and a darker, but considerably smaller _thing_ was left.

Ratchet approached the form cautiously and began his examination. “It appears what we thought was the Cybertronian’s transitional form was a… prison of some sort, designed to prevent the Cybertronian underneath from moving. That must be why I couldn’t get a strong life signal and now that I can…” The medic tensed. “Optimus, I think you should take a look at this.”

In an explosion of movement, the Cybertronian flipped up, two blades shot out from their servos, unsettlingly long. When the alien opened their intake, a grating howl echoed off the walls of the hangar and the autobots dived into action.

Ratchet rolled away from the centre of the room instantly and grabbed Lennox, removing him from harm’s way. Ironhide pounced on the Cybertronian and knocked them to the ground, where sideswipe skated towards the doors, blocking them off. Optimus seemed frozen as the chaos unfolded before him and it wasn’t until Ironhide managed to strike the Cybertronian’s Mid-section plating and neck guard that he took action.

Lennox could just about hear Optimus over the metallic screaming still bouncing around as he barked, “Get back.” With a grunt, he hauled Ironhide off the Cybertronian, who had curled up into a defensive ball as soon as Ironhide had landed the first blow. Their optics were squeezed shut and they finally stopped crying out.

Ironhide took a step back and for a moment, no one could move. Lennox let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding as Optimus approached the shaking Cybertronian. “Calm down. You are amongst allies.” Optimus told them in a reassuring tone.

The Cybertronian starting shaking their head frantically, blindly pushing Optimus away. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Please, I have to stop them. You don’t understand.” Their voice was hoarse and grating, but was considerably lighter than any of the autobots. As if they’d been shocked, the Cybertronian’s helm snapped up and their optics flew open. There was a tense pause as the Cybertronian took in the sight before them. “Optimus?” They whispered, before collapsing in a heap on the hangar floor at the autobot leader’s pedes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, really hope this hasn’t been a disappointment and I’m hoping to update a lot sooner than I did last time. I normally aim for around 3000 words, but I nearly managed 1500 with this one :-(


End file.
